The new Japanese Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, will visit Laos from October 10 to 12, where he will participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS). This was stated at a press conference by the Deputy Secretary General of the Japanese Cabinet of Ministers, Keiichiro Tachibana, TASS reports. Ishiba’s trip will therefore be his first visit abroad as head of government.
“Prime Minister Ishiba plans to visit Laos from October 10 to 12 to attend ASEAN-related summits. On October 10, he will participate in the Japan-ASEAN summit and the ASEAN+3 summit (ASEAN members, in addition to China, Japan and South Korea). In addition, on October 11 he plans to attend the EAC and Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) Summit. – Tachibana said.
He added that Tokyo considers ASEAN-related summits “an important forum that brings together the largest countries in the Indo-Pacific region.”
“Through these meetings we will reaffirm that Japan will strengthen cooperation with ASEAN. “We also plan to convey Japan’s position on regional and international issues.” – Tachibana also said.
It is reported that, on the sidelines of the events, Ishiba will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of other states. This issue, according to a representative of the Japanese government, is under study.
